More of the Tour de librairie! This list has been a joy to make, exploring the beautiful world of books and the many cultures that embrace their wonder.

Here is part II of the Worlds top Bookstores:

Rizzoli Bookstore (New York, NY)

Rizzoli is famed for its art books and foreign fashion magazines. After being forced out of there location by developers, Rizzoli has brought the character of its old space to the new one.
Lavishing the 1896 Beaux-Arts building with tables and chandeliers from the old store, and commissioning a sky-scape mural to run along the 18-foot ceilings.
The new building also has stunning new windows.
Vogue man-about-town André Leon Talley has fashioned them with Vivienne Westwood, Gucci and Manolo Blahnik clothes and shoes, surrounded by Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons art books.

Libreria Acqua Alta (Venice , Italy)

Luigi Frizzo, the eccentric manager speaks English and includes numerous English books in his collection. He has created a shop filled with
ambiance and culture,
if you have a boat, you can enter the bookshop from the Rio. The atmosphere is as quirky and friendly as the owner, and he has created a wonderful little shop. The name means “Library of High Water.”

When the local waterways rise they fill the store inches off the floor, which would normally destroy any stock. However, they have preserved this shop (and created it’s uniqueness) by keeping the books in various basins, boats, and bathtubs. This shop is simply exquisite in it’s in genuinely superb uniqueness. 

Livraria Lello (Porto, Portugal)

Livraria Lello & Irmão, also known as Livraria Chardron or simply Livraria Lello is a bookstore located in central Porto, Portugal. Along with Bertrand in Lisbon, it is one of the oldest bookstores in Portugal. It is an exquisite store, with stained glass windows, wooden walls, and an elegant staircase. It is lavish and grand and a sight worth traveling to see, the beauty would stun any book lover.

Cafebreria El Pendulo
(Polanco, Mexico City)
Bookstore, Breakfast Spot, and Coffee Shop all in one. Of course I love a bookshop with a coffee shop in it, a happy combination. I adore the natural elements that drape this lovely store, I find it to be a beautiful book oasis. This is the kind of bookshop that could keep me entrapped and enchanted for days.

Word on the Water
(The canals of London)
A bookshop that floats on a boat just outside Paddington station. The shop started up in the spring of 2012, and survived despite the recession. Thanks to donations and sourcing this adorable little jewel offers quality second-hand books sold at unbelievable prices; £3 for paperbacks and £4 for hardbacks, new editions are also available. When the weather is good, the impressive covers lining the top deck will make even the least of book lovers want to browse and buy. They also feature ad hoc music nights, book launches, and readings. In the chilly  winter’s season, they also offer lovely and affordible  mulled wine. Need I say more.

Boekhandel Dominicanen (Maastricht, Netherlands)

A regal gem, this bookshop towers with stunning beauty. The cathedral air of this beautiful shop is due to its history as a church: the thirteenth-century Boekhandel Selexyz Dominicanen in Maastricht, Netherlands.

The Last Bookstore (Los Angeles)

This store is more like a magical portal, into the world of the stories and lives tucked in the adorning pages.  This airy book & record store offers new & used items in a multilevel space dressed with local art.

It is reminiscent of the enchanted rabbit hole that leads to a book wonderland. The shop is packed with cushiony comfort and beautifully decorated with the simple divinity of the books themselves.

This list was compiled based on research not experience, so of course there is room for error. I may find myself later wishing I had included others, or feeling like I did an injustice to an incredible store. It’s bound to happen considering how big and diverse our wonderful planet is, and I consider this a wonderful thing. If this list was not changeable or extendable it would make me very sad.

That being said, do you know of any other amazing bookstores?

See Part I